Harrison College and Queen’s College will determine who the 2015 Co-operators General Insurance Junior League Basketball Tournament champions will be when they contest next Tuesday’s final at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.
This afternoon Harrison College defeated Alexandra 59-46, while in the second semi-final encounter Queen’s College upset last year’s losing finalists Graydon Sealy 56-55 in a thriller.
The opening game of the league semi-final match-ups was dominated by Harrison College who led over the first three quarters 18-15, 30-26 and 47-32. Point guard Raphael Howard had a game-high 22 points while forward Christian Holder added 18 for Harrison College.
Kieserian Adams top-scored with 17 for Alexandra while forward David Lewis ended with 14 after getting his team on the score sheet at the start of the game. The scores were locked 14-14 at the halfway stage of the first quarter.
Howard showed up and scored back-to-back two-pointers to give Harrison College the lead 18-15 going into the second quarter.
Lewis started Alexandra off with two points once again when the second quarter commenced. That put the scores 18-17 and then a deft lay-up from Rasheed Maynard put Alexandra out front by one point 19-18.
The scores were subsequently locked at 24 but again Harrison College would take the lead 26-24. Howard scored the last six of the 26 points at that stage for his team. Jonathan Agard responded with two for Alexandra and was able to tie the scores 26. But a mini-run by Harrison College saw them breach Alexandra’s defence and edge ahead by four points at 30-26 to take that quarter.
In the penultimate quarter Alexandra only tallied six points as Harrison College dominated with 17 points to end the period with the score 47-32. Howard who ended with eight points in the quarter and Akobi Forde, six, also joined in on the fun as those two pressured Alexandra’s defence.
The run that Alexandra’s supporters were hoping for in the fourth quarter never really came and their offensive efforts were frequently thwarted by Harrison College’s defence. The boys from Crumpton Street counterattacked on the fast break on many occasions, especially Howard and Holder, and capitalized by scoring vital points as Harrison College put the game to bed.
